First step
by stocky-parker-dog
Summary: Because when he thought about it, really thought about it, he didn't really want to be alone when he grew up. So if this was what he wanted, he'd better take the first step. Ikarishipping drabble that I just came up with and had to write down. I do NOT own the characters. Read, Enjoy and Review please.


He hadn't always been alone. There was once upon a time where Paul used to have a friend. A best friend. A friend who was also a girl. And she meant the world to him. Because Paul was a different person back then. Back then when the world was still innocent. Back then when Paul actually smiled. Back then…

But that was back then. And Paul was no longer the happy innocent child he used to be. That changed when a drunk driver shattered his world.

She'd been little, only five and he, only seven when it had happened. She'd wandered off and everyone was franticly searching for her. Including him. And he had been the first to find her…but the first to witness. Watching helplessly, only able to scream he name as the car came around the corner at a speed way too fast. Only watch as she turned, her eyes filled with terror. Her screams were cut short as the car ruthlessly hit her small body and kept going. And only then had he been able to move. He had picked up her small, fragile, broken body and ran. He ran fast; fuelled on by the adrenaline of pure fear. By the time he'd found someone else, her breathing stopped, her pulse was quiet and her skin was cold. She'd died in his arms.

Now he pushed everyone away. At first it wasn't intentional. He'd just become closed off, emotionless and so listless his brother had become terrified. Then it was purposeful. He'd adopted the cold, calm, unfeeling nature. Of course he did have emotions still, what human didn't? He'd just become good at controlling them, not letting them show; putting on a mask. It was all to protect himself. He didn't want to get that close to a person again. He wouldn't be able to handle it.

And then, there was her. The girl he called troublesome. The girl who just kept coming back at him, no matter how much he tried to push her away. Of course he knew her name. It was Dawn. Like she said, it wasn't that hard to remember, but he had 'forgotten' on purpose to get her so angry she'd walk out and never come back. Because he wanted to be alone.

But now that he thought about it, really thought about it, did he really want to be alone? Did he want to be alone his whole life? He was a guy, and now that it came to his mind, he wouldn't mind having a female in his life. Not just any female. A special female.

Yes, he could see it now. One day, far in the future, he'd be married to her. He'd get to wake up and breathe in the feint cherry scent of her blue hair from the shampoo she liked to use. And she'd roll over to face him, he dark blue eyes hazy and sleepy. He'd kiss her head and lovingly whisper her name and a morning greeting…

Holy Arceus! Did he just imagine himself with that troublesome girl? His eyes widened. Why? Was it because she had stuck to him, despite his attempts to drive her away? Or was it because he had been at least fascinated by her from the first few meetings?

Yes, he was fascinated by her. He knew that much. Why was she so bent coming back? Especially when all that he seemed to do was bother her and fight with her companion.

Truthfully, he shouldn't have meant anything to her. Shouldn't have been involved in her life at all. It was just a once off when that Ash kid had once challenged him. But when Ash came back, so did she. When Ash had moved away, leaving her to travel by herself and he thought it was the end, but she'd still managed to have a run in with him on a regular basis. They found themselves travelling on the same route to the same place and occasionally she had suggested that they should just travel together. Of course he'd declined. He didn't want it.

But now he did. Oh well, if he apparently wanted to be with her, then he better make the first step. If it wasn't too late. He doubted it was. She was bound to run into him within the next-he checked his watch-10 seconds maybe?

"Paul!" Right on cue. She smiled and waved as she saw him, showing no evidence she was still annoyed from their last encounter. It amazed him sometimes how she managed to keep her spirits up like that.

"Dawn," he said, smiling slightly-something he hadn't done in years. The shock and complete surprise on her face was priceless, but he only saw it for a minute. Her feet had come to a dead halt and her body had kept going, resulting in her landing face down in the dirt.

"You said my name," she squeaked, looking up, apparently not caring that she'd most likely ruined her outfit in the dirt, something she usually would be fretting over. His lips twitched as he let out a dry chuckle. This was definitely the right first step to have taken.

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**A/N: Woohoo. Drabble. This was a quick idea I thought of and I just had to write it down and type it up. No kiss in this one. It didn't fit. Wow, that's something new for me. So what did you think? Was it OOC? I haven't written anything to do with Dawn or Paul for a while. Tell me what you think in a review.**


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